.308 Build

[Buckeye0311]

Next fall I am going to have the opportunity to go on a bear hunt in West Virginia and I was thinking about building a semi-auto .308 for that. What do you all think? Will .308 have enough balls to take a black bear? This is just the very beginning of this possible project and any oppinions are welcome. Thanks.

[VanceW]

I guess it depends on how big that furry critter is. Don't see many bears down here outside of the zoo.

I'd want to know for sure that I could take it down, so I think maybe you might want to think a bit bigger. Maybe the 450 Bushmaster cartridge for starters.

[Belmont31R]

308 is fine for black bears. Just use a quality hunting bullet not a typical AR round like a FMJ or OTM. You want to use something like a Nosler Partition, and make sure they work in the gun first.

[Buckeye0311]

What about barrel length? I was thinking about a 16", but because I want all the energy I can get from the round should I stay at around 18"?

[carbinero]

What's your estimated distance? 16 vs 18 is a good question, but don't neglect what's on the market for that alone. Like, if you are thinking LMT, don't get Brand X off the shelf just to get a 18. Also, consider the hotter rounds now available which would help you bridge the GAP. Oh, did I capitalize that?

http://www.gaprecision.net/ga-precis...ion-ar-10.html

[elephantrider]

As Belmont suggested, start with an appropriate bullet or factory cartridge (depending on if you plan on handloading or using factory ammunition?). Whether or not you should use a 16" or 18" barrel will depend on the range of the longest shots you plan on taking, the bullet or factory ammunition you are using, and what the minimum required velocity is for the selected bullet to make a clean first shot kill.

You can use an online ballistics calculator (like JBM Ballistics www.jbmballistics.com) to see what kind of enery/velocity the bullet will have over its flight.

You can search on this sight to see what kind of velocities people are getting with various loads out of their 16" and/or 18" barrels. If I remember correctly, you can expect about 2500-2550fps out of a 16" with 175gr bullets.

I woulnd expect more than a 40-70fps difference between the two lengths with any load.

[WWhunter]

.308 if fine. I have shot a few and they are not hard to kill. Even shot a couple with bow.
Only issue I would think about is if you are hunting bait or going to be stalking/walking much. Most .308 "black rifles" are a little on the heavier side and can get a little much if you are over hill and dale chasing after yogi!!
WW

[DTHN2LGS]

Personally, I would get an 18" barrelled .308 to get the most I could out of the cartridge. My choice would be LaRue Tactical.

[MistWolf]

Within the range black bear are normally hunted, the difference in velocity between the 16" and 18" barrel isn't much. Personally, I'd rather have an 18" or 20" barrel for hunting as those lengths are far more pleasant to shoot a 308 from than a 16" barrel.

The 308 will perform fine against black bear as long as you chose the right bullet for the job. Keep in mind that upon impact, a good bullet sheds velocity faster than it does weight. The combination of black bear, semi-automatic rifle and 308 Winchester calls for a well constructed 168 gr bullet.

You can also go to the various ammunition maker's websites & check their recommended 308 loads for taking black bear

[Buckeye0311]

Thank you for all of the helpful info!! My thinking is that I want to build a rifle that I can hunt black bear, and get into longer distance shooting with. Keeping that in mind what type of optic? 1-8x?? Thanks again. God bless